Change is rarely easy, but it is inevitable and it's important that you account for it. When you don't, problems arise because one part of your life is now different yet the way you go throughout your days is the same. Next time your life shifts in a noticeable way, create a change map to help you alter your regular routines so you can avert the disaster that comes with staying a doomed course. Here's how.

It seems obvious, but I can't tell you how many times I've fixed a life problem only to see a new version of it resurface a year or two later and wonder how that happened. The answer is that something in my life changed but I didn't change with it. It's kind of like losing 50 pounds and trying to wear the same, large pants you've been wearing for a long time. They don't fit anymore and they fall down. You notice something like that because it's easy to see the difference between you with pants and you without, but that isn't true for changes that take place in your head. There is no obvious reminder or clear solution, so it's easy to forget to adapt when life suddenly becomes a little (or a lot) different. In this post, our goal is to make this kind of change visual so you can see it more like you can see the pants that don't fit. To do this, we need to create a change map—a mind map for change. It only takes 5-10 minutes and works like this:

Start by placing the recent change in your life in the center of the page.

Think about the other parts of your life this change affects. Write them down in circles surrounding the central change circle and connect them with lines.

Look at all the parts of your life that are affected by the change. What routines are in place for each part? Write down each routine and connect it to the related circle with a line.

That's it. Now you have your change map—a visual representation of what's different and the parts of your life you need to adapt. All that's necessary now is to think about how your routines will be affected by this change and make the necessary alterations.